The government of the Philippines has confirmed that the deadline for SIM card registration in the country has been set as 27 June 2023.
As previously reported by TeleGeography’s CommsUpdate on 10 October this year, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed the Subscriber Identity Mobile (SIM) Card Registration Act into law, requiring all public telecommunications entities (PTEs) to register all SIM cards with a valid photo ID as a prerequisite to their sale and activation. It also directs telcos to disclose the information contained in the SIM card registration, should a court ask for it. Under the Act, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), in coordination with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the National Privacy Commission (NPC), PTEs and major consumer groups, is mandated to issue the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) necessary for the implementation of the SIM Registration Act. The NTC subsequently issued the IRR via Memorandum Circular No. 001-12-2022 on 12 December 2022. The IRR is reported to take effect on 27 December 2022, 15 days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. As per the SIM Registration Act IRR, all SIM users – individuals, companies, and foreigners alike – must be mindful that they have until 27 June 2023 to register their SIM cards pursuant to the law and the IRR to ensure continued use of PTE services.